The Caveman’s Essential Nutrients #7: Potassium
Not gonna lie, Rockheads, the first time I learned about Potassium it was when I was watching Honey We Shrunk Ourselves and the daughter had to feed bananas to her unconscious brother who had a potassium deficiency. While my slightly younger caveman self was convinced that bananas were a miracle fruit that could save you from certain death, a little research on Potassium shows that while it may not be a magic nutrient, it certainly is very important for buildin’ your body caveman strong.
So what exactly does Potassium do for ya? For one, Potassium is involved in creatin’ the proteins yur body needs from amino acids and convertin’ carbohydrates into energy. This means that Potassium is important for buildin’ muscle, promotin’ body growth, and supportin’ heart function. It also helps maintain the acid-base balance in your body. This means that Potassium is good for helping you maintain your focus and awareness – something every caveman needs.
Aside from the everyday functions that Potassium performs, this nutrient has some pretty great long-term effects on your body as well. Potassium lowers your risk for high blood pressure, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and stroke. It also helps prevent hypokalemia – a form of potassium deficiency – that causes an irregular heartbeat, weakness, muscle cramps, a lack of energy, and an upset stomach.
So how much of the stuff d’you actually need? Adults and children aged 14 and older should aim to consume about 4.7 g of potassium per day. Where do ya find it? Potassium is in a lotta different foods – not just bananas. You can find potassium in things like:
- raisins
- prunes
- apricots
- dates
- strawberries
- watermelon
- cantaloupe
- spinach
- mushrooms
- peas
- beans
- turkey
- fish
With all these yummy foods just chock-full of potassium goodness, there’s no reason to miss out on all of the benefits of this great nutrient!